§ Mrs. LaingTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the New Deal in Scotland in(a) 1997 and (b) 1998; and what the budget cost for (i) 1998–99, (ii) 1999–2000 and (iii) 2000–01. [77831]
§ Mr. Dewar[holding answer 25 March 1999]: The costs and estimates are noted in the table.
£ million Year New Deal1 1997–98 1.26 April 1998-February 1999 213.98 1998–99 estimate 59.0 1999–2000 estimate 97.3 2000–01 estimate 74.5 1 The costs quoted relate to the New Deal programmes for 18–24 year olds and for those aged 25 and over. 2 This figure relates to the payments made by the end of February; it is low in relation to the estimate because of the timelags in claims from, and payments to, providers of various aspects of the programme.